HOUSTON — Thursday night’s deadly storms in the Greater Houston area caused massive damage and killed one person in the Heights.
Jeff Baker told KHOU 11 News that a wood frame of what was set to become a townhome collapsed due to strong winds and heavy rain.
“It was a loud noise. I just happened to see it, just at the exact time that it fell. It was bizarre,” Baker told us.
Manuel Palacio, 39, was killed by a tree that fell on his home in the Heights. It happened on N Main Street between 28th & 29th streets.
Massive trees brought down by winds as high as 100 mph also blocked streets and crashed into houses, cars and power lines. By Friday night, tens of thousands of CenterPoint customers in the neighborhood north of downtown were still in the dark.
Thoughtful neighbors pitched in to help those who weren't so lucky.
“I was like, oh man the whole house is gone,” Heights resident Ricardo Guillermo said.
Guillermo told KHOU 11 that instead of sitting at home in the dark, he decided to gas up the chainsaw and help those in need by cutting fallen trees and clearing the roadways.
“I’ve never even met these people. I have no clue who they are,” Guillermo explained.
Daniel Lopez and four of his five sons also dedicated their Friday to the same mission, providing help to those in his community who needed it most by sawing downed trees and clearing roadways.
“Because I’m thinking about in the next couple of days, guys are going to come out here, charging an arm and a leg for this. If we can help, I’ll go ahead and help our neighbors save money, because I can’t imagine going through something like this,” Lopez said.
Darren Tompkins and his wife, Stephanie Hill, are also helping neighbors stuck without power in the Heights. They feel fortunate to have a generator so they've been charging people's phones for them.
“I said let’s help out the neighbors as much as we can," Darren said.
“Neighbors that know us are like, ‘Oh my god, this is so great!’” Stephanie told us.
Instead of a cup of sugar, neighbors are borrowing an electronic charge.
“It’s awesome. They’re great neighbors to do this," We need to be in touch with family and friends," one neighbor said.
The couple decided to save money to buy their generator after the deadly freeze in 2021 that left the Heights without power for days. This is the first time they've needed to use it.
Their neighbors are grateful that Darren and Stephanie are doing what they can to help others recover from the storm.
